The main purpose of the file manager is to organize a large set of files into a maintainable structure. To make the job of finding files easier, hard disks are organized into directories. You can think of your hard disk as a type of filing cabinet, and directories are like the folders in the filing cabinet. When speaking in terms of the file manager folders and directories are synonymous. In a filing cabinet, each folder can hold a different collection of documents. Similarly with a hard disk, each directory can hold a different category of files. The files in a directory can be either programs or documents, much like the papers within folders. You also can separate your folders into groups, like the drawers of a filing cabinets. The one thing that you can do on a computer that you cannot do in a regular filing cabinet is place folders inside of folders which can contain more folders. This is the idea of subdirectories. Subdirectories are folders within folders. The left side of the lower image above shows several subdirectories below and to the right of the "exam-1" directory. The type of directory structure you choose for your system is determined by the type of files you work with. You may want to start by examining your paper filing system for ideas on how your documents can be organized on your hard disk. Keep in mind that you can make changes to your directory structure as it becomes necessary.
For example, you may want a Fall-96 directory for your upcoming course work, and under this directory, you may want to organize your subdirectories by the different classes in which you are either enrolled or teaching, with representative names such as PROG, ENGL and STAT. You may also wish to subdivide some of these initial directories further to contain large research projects.
As illustrated in the figure below of a File Manager Window, the program displays directories and subdirectories in a directory tree format. A directory tree is similar to a family tree. The root directory is at the top, and a directory that contains subdirectories is said to be the parent directory for any directories and files it contains. File Manager displays a directory tree with the drive letter at the top (root), and subdirectories that appear below and slightly to the right of their parent directories.
